Friday, April 03, 2009

The Internets are bursting at the seams with the news that Obama gifted the Queen of England with an iPod -- but are paying faint attention to the fact that it was LOADED WITH BROADWAY SHOWTUNES.

Leave it to a German publication to report, with exactitude, the news that really matters. Adopted from Spiegel Online here's "Die royale Playlist" that Obama conferred with his gift:

"Oklahoma!" (no word whether it was just the title track of the whole dang soundtrack)"If I Loved You", Jan Clayton, Carousel"You'll Never Walk Alone", Jan Clayton, Carousel"There's No Business Like Show Business", Ethel Merman, Annie Get Your Gun"Once in Love with Amy (Where's Charley?)", Ray Bolger, South Pacific"Some Enchanted Evening", South Pacific"Diamonds Are a Girl's Best Friend", Carol Channing, Gentlemen Prefer Blondes"Getting to Know You", Gertrude Lawrence, The King and I"Shall We Dance?" Gertrude Lawrence, The King and I"I Could Have Danced All Night", Julie Andrews, My Fair Lady"I've Grown Accustomed to Her Face", Rex Harrison, My Fair Lady"The Party's Over (Bells Are Ringing)", Judy Holliday"Maria", West Side Story"Tonight", West Side Story"Seventy Six Trombones", The Music Man"Everything's Coming up Roses", Ethel Merman, Gypsy"The Sound of Music""Try to Remember", Jerry Orbach, The Fantasticks"Camelot", Richard Burton"If Ever I Would Leave You", Robert Goulet, Camelot"Hello, Dolly!", Carol Channing"If I Were a Rich Man", Zero Mostel, Fiddler on the Roof"People", Barbra Streisand, Funny Girl"On a Clear Day (You Can See Forever)", John Cullum"The Impossible Dream", Richard Kiley, Man of La Mancha"Mame", Charles Braswell"Cabaret", Liza Minnelli"Aquarius", Ronald Dyson, Hair"Send in the Clowns", Judy Collins, A Little Night Music"All That Jazz", Chita Rivera, Chicago"One", A Chorus Line"Tomorrow", Andrea McArdle, Annie"Don't Cry for Me Argentina", Patti LuPone, Evita"And I Am Telling You I'm Not Going", Jennifer Holliday, Dreamgirls"Memory", Elaine Paige, Cats"The Best of Times", George Hearn, La Cage Aux Folles"I Dreamed a Dream", Aretha Franklin, Les Misérables"The Music of the Night", Michael Crawford, The Phantom of the Opera"As If We Never Said Goodbye", Elaine Paige, Sunset Blvd."Seasons of Love", Rent

Sure he could have loaded it with American rock or blues or jazz tunes, but would HRH have dug Springstein half as much as the title track from Camelot? Or Zero Mostel singing If I Were a Rich Man? As a gift, Obama's playlist, loaded onto Apple technology, so beats a bald eagle Steuben paperweight.

I dig that playlist and I do think it's appropriate for the queen. I know Obama wants to be/is the techie president, but I feel like the iPod is a little misguided. But I love the fact that he also loaded it with photos of the queen's recent trip to the US, too.